Love is a Poison, a Japanese tv series on Netflix, has this description: "An elite lawyer with social anxiety takes in a genius con artist." Ok, if they're both men, there may be some gay subtexts.
The Episode 1 description: "After meeting a young man named Haruto, elite lawyer Shiba can't stop thinking about him. He goes camping to clear his mind, but runs into Haruto."
He goes camping. Shiba is a man, and "can't stop thinking about" a man. Either this is a gay romance, or world-class queerbaiting.
Scene 1: High-power lawyer Shiba's partner congratulates him on winning his case. "I've learned so much from working with you." Shiba is upset: "You've learned? If you're still learning, you're not fit to be my partner. You're fired." Jerk
Shiba tells us that he passed the bar with the highest score, and now, at age 27, works in in the most prestigious law firm in Japan. He wants to make the name Shiba a worldwide legal brand. "This is a serious legal drama."
Cut to a young man, sweating and crying, telling Shiba, "please don't leave me," and touching his face. "Or not. This is a legal drama and romantic thriller." This is a gay romance or a seriously excellent job of queerbaiting.
Scene 2: Shiba in a bar with colleage Kotaro Kozama, a caring human rights lawyer, his exact opposite, but he wins cases. Kotaro shows the bartender a photo of his new lover: "He's gay, but I don't care about other people's sexual preferences," har har.
In other news: the big boss won't give Shiba any more partners, since he's chased away 99. Not to worry, Shiba tells him: "I can handle the work load alone."
Scene 3: Shiba runs into the bar bathroom, and accidentally hits a young man, Haruto. He gives him his wallet so he won't sue. Kneeling on the floor, Haruto smiles serenely and says "You're very kind."
Back home, Shiba tends to and talks to his plants, but he can't stop thinking about the guy. "Ridiculous! I'm not interested in him!" The only way to clear his head is to go camping.
Scene 4: At the campsite, Shiba can't start a fire, so he eats an energy bar instead of the expensive beef he brought.
Suddenly Haruto appears. He explains that he's staying with a friend nearby, so it's just a coincidence that they ran into each other again. I'm not buying it.
After insulting Shiba's camping skill, he starts the fire and cooks the best beef that Shiba has ever eaten. Then he gets a call, says that he has to return to his friend's house, and leaves. Curioser and curioser.
Even more curious after the break
